Assembly session: Opposition stages walkout over meager petrol price relief

Two bills passed, 13 ordinances introduced

LAHORE: Opposition members in the Punjab Assembly on Monday staged a walkout over not being allowed to move an out-of-turn resolution demanding further reduction in petroleum prices.

“The federal government is getting Rs40 per liter from petrol sales. This is too much. We demand that the federal government reduce fuel prices to provide relief to the common man,” Leader of the Opposition Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed said.

When the speaker didn’t permit him to speak further on the subject and asked him to bring a resolution keeping with the House rules, Rasheed walked out saying: “Rules and regulations are being used to bar us from raising our voice for the rights of the people.”

Speaking on a point of order, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Muhammad Ilyas Chinioti said that there were reports in the media that the Tableeghi Jamaat had been banned from preaching in educational institutes. “Islam urges Muslims to preach. In the Constitution, only Ahmedis are stopped from preaching and can be jailed for three years for violating the law. Still, they are openly preaching in my district,” he said. He demanded that all Muslims be allowed to preach in accordance with Islamic principles.

Two bills were passed in the session. The Punjab Safe Cities Authority Bill 2015 and the Punjab Special Protection Unit Bill 2015 had both been recommended by the Standing Committee on Home Affairs.

Four bills were introduced by Law Minister Rana Sanaullah in the house on Monday. These were Punjab Public Representatives’ Laws (Amendment) Bill 2016, the Punjab Animals Slaughter Control (Amendment) Bill 2016, the Punjab Private Education Commission Bill 2016 and the Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Bill 2016.

The government also laid 13 ordinances before the House. These were: the Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, the Fort Munro Development Authority Ordinance 2015, the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, the Punjab Education Foundation (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, the Punjab Vigilance Committees Ordinance 2016, the Fatima Jinnah Medical University Lahore (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, the Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, the Punjab Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance 2016, the Punjab Prohibition of Child Labour At Bricks Kilns Ordinance 2016, the Punjab Marriage Functions Ordinance 2015, the Punjab Local Government (Second Amendment) Ordinance 2016, the Punjab Economic Research Institute (Amendment) Ordinance 2016 and the Punjab Forest (Amendment) Ordinance 2016.

In the question-answer session, questions related to the Higher Education Department were answered. Two call attention notices were also submitted in the house. PPP member Faiza Malik submitted a call attention notice regarding a robbery in Gujranwala. Malik Taimur Masood of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) submitted a call attention notice over a murder case in Rawalpindi.

Nasir Cheema of the PTI moved a privilege motion about being manhandled by an SHO in his area. It was referred to a Privileges Committee.

After the completion of agenda, the speaker adjourned the session till Tuesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2016.